Why does my 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds not equal 15 ml?

Why does my 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds not equal 15 ml? - Cup of coffee and teaspoon on beige background

The bag of coffee I am using instructs to "Add 2 1/2 tablespoons (37 ml)" of ground coffee. When I measure out 2 1/2 tablespoons onto my food scale, it only comes out to about 13 ml.

Why does my 2 1/2 tablespoon measurement not equal 37 ml?



Best Answer

Your scale is measuring weight, not volume.

Some scales do have an option to "convert" to volume, but they have to do so based on density; they don't actually know what's on top of them. So unless yours is really fancy, and has a bunch of densities programmed into it, so that you can say "this is flour" and let it convert, it's probably just assuming everything is water, with a density of 1g/mL.

And this should be really easy to confirm. Just toggle it from weight to volume. If it says 13mL is 13g, then that's what it's doing.

So then it's telling you that your 2.5 tablespoons of coffee is 13g, not 13mL, because it's around 1/3 as dense as water.




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Quick Answer about "Why does my 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds not equal 15 ml?"

Just toggle it from weight to volume. If it says 13mL is 13g, then that's what it's doing. So then it's telling you that your 2.5 tablespoons of coffee is 13g, not 13mL, because it's around 1/3 as dense as water.

Is a coffee scoop 1 tablespoon?

A level scoop of coffee should contain two tablespoons of coffee, which are approximately 10 grams or 0.36 ounces. Based on this, you should use two tablespoons or one tablespoon of ground coffee for every 6 fluid ounces of water.

How is coffee grounds measured?

A Coffee Scoop Is Typically About 2 Tablespoons, or 1/8 Cup. A coffee scoop is a kitchen utensil used for measuring quantities of ground coffee beans, though some are also used to measure loose tea. Traditionally, the coffee scoop holds about 15 ml (0.5 US fl oz) of liquid (~1 tablespoon).

What is a standard coffee scoop measure?

If you don't have a scale yet, 1 level tablespoon of beans or grounds is about 5 grams. You will want to use 2 level tablespoons of coffee for every 6 fluid ounces of water you use to brew with.



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